| If you are looking for a cat that goes great with | | | | won't. Though very people-oriented, they aren't |
| children and dogs, is well known for its wonderful | | | | the type of cat that will ever likely become |
| intelligence, outstanding disposition and loving | | | | overly dependent upon you. But they do enjoy |
| nature, then you might want to consider getting a | | | | hanging out with you, following you around the |
| Maine Coon. The Maine Coon is the oldest natural | | | | house and getting involved into whatever you |
| breed of longhaired cat in North America and is | | | | happen to be doing, waiting for you by the door |
| regarded to be a native to the state of Maine, | | | | of a closed room until you emerge, and choosing |
| earning the illustrious title of State Cat. They are | | | | to sit in the chair next to you. Maine Coons also |
| a particularly sturdy cat ideally suited to the varied | | | | like to play fetch with their owners. |
| seasons and the harsh winters in that region and | | | | The Maine Coon has a coat that is different, too. |
| are highly regarded as outstanding mousers. | | | | It's longer in the britches, ruff and stomach, |
| There are numerous legends that surround the | | | | glossy and heavy, making it water-resistant to |
| Maine Coon and how it came into existence. One | | | | rain and snow, yet surprisingly shorter on the |
| particular legend claimed that this cat was the | | | | neck and back to protect it from tangling in the |
| product of mating between semi-wild domestic | | | | underbrush. Also surprising is the fact that even |
| cats and raccoons. This came about because of | | | | though the Maine Coon is longhaired, its coat is |
| the bushy tail and raccoon-like coloring, which | | | | nearly maintenance-free. There's a Yankee myth |
| indeed led to the name. Still another story was | | | | that speaks of Maine Coons weighing thirty |
| that Maine Coon actually started from six pet | | | | pounds, but it's just a myth. Usually the males |
| cats that were sent to Wiscasset, Maine by Marie | | | | average from thirteen to eighteen pounds and the |
| Antoinette when she planned to escape France | | | | females from nine to twelve. |
| during the Revolution. The truth, as most | | | | Another endearing quality of the Maine Coon is its |
| breeders believe today, is that the breed probably | | | | large, round, tufted feet, which tend to act like |
| sprang into existence as a result of mating | | | | snow shoes. Unlike most cats, Maine Coons are |
| between shorthaired domestic casts and longhair | | | | slow to develop and don't actually obtain their full |
| cats, possibly Angoras, which were brought to the | | | | size until they reach three to five years of age. |
| United States by New England seamen and the | | | | They love to play and rarely meow. But their |
| Vikings. | | | | highly unusual soft, tiny voice can be heard as a |
| Unlike other cats that like to sit in your lap and | | | | distinctive, chirping trill, which they will use to |
| pester you for attention, the Maine Coon usually | | | | entice their owners to play. |